Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB), a Dharwad-headquartered regional rural bank, is betting big on solar power, not only for its business but also for its operational needs.
Nearly
one-third of the power requirement at the head office and 170 branches
of the bank is being met by roof-top solar power units.
KVGB Chairman S Ravindran, who was in Mangaluru on Thursday Oct 20,2016, told
that the bank has 615 branches in Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Gadag,
Haveri, Vijayapura, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts
of Karnataka. Of these, 170 branches — mostly in remote rural areas —
run on solar power.
On an average, each branch
requires around 45-50 units of power a day. The roof-top solar power
units produce around 15 units a day. Their installation has helped the
bank tide over the rampant power supply disruptions in rural areas. The
bank is planning to bring another 40 branches under solar power during
the current fiscal year.
Ravindran said nearly
one-third of the power requirement at the head office is also being met
by a 25-kV rooftop solar power plant, which generates 80-100 units a
day. The total power consumption in the head office is around 250 units a
day. The power generated during holidays is supplied to the grid. This
initiative helps the bank save around ₹19,000 in monthly power bills.
KVGB, which has invested around ₹21 lakh on the rooftop solar unit, will recover the amount in six-seven years, said Ravindran.
The bank is also financing solar lighting systems, solar pumpsets and rooftop solar units for its customers.
Ravindran
said KVGB started financing solar energy units in its earlier avatar as
Malaprabha Grameen Bank, in 1994. Over the past two decades, it has
provided around ₹45 crore to finance installation of 25,000 solar
lighting units. The units have helped boost economic activities and
improve literacy level in rural areas, he said.
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